Rail joint



Patented Oct. 23, 1928,.

viiNrriaD STATES y v1,689,169 PATENT OFFICE.

'NICHOLAS A. DOYLE, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN GAR AND FOUNDRY COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION Oii1 NEW JERSEY.

. RAIL JOINT.

'Application inea April 2s, 192s. serial No. 273,609.

This invention relates generally to rail joints and has particular reference-to a splice bar therefor which is so constructed as to provide increased flexibility at the juncture of adjacent rail ends whereby to enable it to more readily adapt Iitself to the wave inotion in the rails.

One object of the invention is to provide a multiplicity of staggered bearing contacts l" between the isliing surfaces of the rails and the splice bai'. A

The usual rail joint formed by a Splice bar which continuously fits and engages the fishing surfaces of adjacent railsreceives what l5 may be termed a hammer andv anvil eeet il() bm.

from pounding of the wheels since the rails are held together by joints which are not relieved at any point of Contact in the fish of the rail throughout the length of the splice 5 points with the fishing surfaces of the rails whereby the wave motion of the adjacent rails will lie transmitted to the splice bar and hard spots thus eliminated. l

Another object of the invention is the pro- 0 vision of a splice bar for connecting the 'adjacent ends of rails, which bar is provided with upper and lower serpentine Ksurfaces forming contact areas and intermediate .de. pressions which are relatively staggered.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a splice bar which is generally serpentine o r wavy in plan.4 l

It is well known in the art to provide a splice bar for connecting the abutting ends of rails in such a manner as to, in effect, merely bridge the. joint by providing upper supporting means arranged -at the junction -of the rails -and bearing against the fishing surfaces of the bottoni of the rails at the ends of the bar. but'sucli a construction does not etlectually eliminate hard spots, nor does such an arrangement transmit the wave inotion oi' the adjacent rails to the splice bar in such a way. as to result in a wave motion of the joint including the splice bar, nor does such a construction transmit wave inotioii from the rails to the splice bar and eliminate hard spots.

The invention.` therefore, contemplates fiaso tlvl prin-'ision of va splice bar which in general is of wave foi-in whereby the wave. inotion of the rails will be takeiiup by the bar and hard spots normally resulting from pounding ofthe wheels on the rails thus eliminated.

Other objects and advantages of this in-A vention will be'apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure l is anelevational view of a rail joint showin-g the splice bar of the present invention, and

Fig. 2 is a sectional view on the line 2 2 of Figpl.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings in which similar vcharacters of reference designate similar parts in the several views, A. and B designate adjacent rail ends each having a head 2, a web 3 and the base flange 4 providing the fishing surfaces 6 and S respectively with which the splice bar C of the present invention-is adapted to contact; the bar being. secured Within the' fishing spaces of the rails and to the web 3 by suit- 4able fasteners such as the bolts 10'.'

The bar is, in geneial, serpentine in form. or to be more specific, wavy, said bar being formed with alternate projections and depressions 12 and'lt respectively on its upper and lower` edges.l Due to thev wavy form of the bar, it will be apparent that the respective projections and depressions aie arranged in staggered relation. I

In applying'the bar across the junction of the rails, it is to be understood that the bar is to be formed of a predetermined Size so tliatthe projections 12 will form contacting portions engaging the fishing surfaces 6 and 8; the contacting portions on the upper and lower edges being spaced bythe depressions Vith the bar C applied as shown, it will be apparent that the bearing points or contacting portions of the -upper and lower edges of the bar which receive the down-thrust from the rail resulting from wheel pounding, are respectively in different vertical planes, thereby relieving the entire joint of! hard spots and providing a construction which effectually takes up the wave motion to which the joint is subjected in use.

From the above description, it is believed' that the invention will be fully apparent to those skilled in the art, and it will further be apparent that the splice barlierein shown and described provides for a plurality of contacting portions for'the fishing surfaces of the rails,y which contacting portions are arrangedv for illustrative purposes only and that variouschanges in the/form and proportions of the device may be made within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit of the invention.'

What I claim is:

1. Avdevice of the kind described comprising a bar having the upper and lower surfaces thereof provided with alternate projections and depressions arranged respectively in staggered relation.

- 2. A splice bar for rail joints having a plurality of spaced contacting areas on the upper and lower edges thereof for engaging the fishing surfaces of adjacent rails, said contacting areas being arranged in staggered relation.

3. In a rail joint, a splice bar of serpentine form providing contacting areas for engag- 'ing the fishing surfaces of adjacent rails in different vertical planes.

4. In a rail joint, a splice bar having applurality of contacting areas on the upper edgey thereof for engaging the fishing surface of the heads of adjacent rails, and a plurality of contacting areas on the lower edge of th'e bar arranged in staggered relation to the first named contacting areas-to engage the fishing surface of the flanges of the rails in differenti` vertical planes from those of the contacting areas of the upper edge.

' 5. In a rail joint, means for eliminating hard spots comprising a splice bar connecting 4i the webs of the rails and having spaced contact areas on the upper and lower edges thereof arranged in relatively staggered relation for engaging the fishing surfaces of the rails in relafv ly different vertical planes to take up the wave motion imparted to the rails.

6. A device of the kind described comprising a bar having spaced projections on its `upper andlower surfaces arranged respec-l tively in staggered relation to engage the fishing surfaces of adjacent rails. 7. A deviceof the kind described comprising a barv adapted to connect adjacent rails and having the upper and lower surfaces thereof provided with alternate projections and depressions arranged respectively in staggered relation to support the rails the full length of said bar.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set 4myhand.

N ICHOLAS A. DOYLE. 

